There’s something about three-piece bands, whether it’s Venom, Jawbreaker, Sumac or Prong, there is something that resonates around the purity and sparseness of bands comprising just three people, that purveys a cleanliness of mission and sound that is hard to quantify. It always amazes me (certainly live) how much sonic death is pushed at you from just a bass, guitar, drums and vocals.
In the always overblown, hyperbole of PR notes, where grandiose statements and often bare faced falsehoods are common, the ridiculous pomposity of Mountain Caller’s debut album title and the proclamations of the London based trio being described as ‘…..jamming, crafting, and conceptualising; a collaborative piece, where each instrument takes centre stage, within a heady mix of chasmic riffs and panoramic, reflective soundscapes….’ is enough to make you vomit into the nearest bin. Now, if I weren’t the consummate professional (I’m not) that I am, I’d be gearing up to cascade fiery vitriol on this album, based on the aforementioned preposterous PR build up, served up with a side salad of delusions of grandeur and a soupcon of taking themselves far too seriously.
That would be the case, were not it for a couple of things. Firstly, this is a very decent effort and I will go on to extrapolate on this shortly. Secondly the production job on this album is worthy of mention, as it uncorks and allows the music on offer here to breath as the marauding post rock, space rock, rolls across your tongue, sloshing against your pallet and basks you in sunshine. It’s punchy yet soft, the drums sound is not unlike those recorded on early Led Zeppelin efforts, where you can hear the warmth of the wooden shells, the snap of the snare and metallic hiss and splash of the cymbals enveloping the shimmering guitars and stomping bass. It sounds antiquated yet conversely fresh and new and serves the music on offer here well.
To the music itself, and it straddles familiar territory, featuring tried and tested musical touchpoints that play in the same sandbox as bands such as Pelican, Shels, Devil Sold His Soul and Sumac but it also scrabbles around in lighter territories with a sound that aligns them with bands such as Muse, Hum and Biffy Clyro. Mountain Caller are striving to create big ideas and soaring themes but the for the most part, generally, it does not feel overly inventive. But, as an entry point into this particular genre, that of late seems crammed to the gills with up and coming bands as well as the previous mentioned bands that have/are seen as trail blazing and thought leaders in this musical oeuvre, you could do a lot worse.
Mountain Caller though, to their credit, have created an album of integrity and depth, that operates on a number of levels which ebb and flow with lots of light and shade that keep you on your toes. Having listened to ‘Chronicle 1…’ a few times, I get the feeling, that this is an album that will grow marinade and develop over time and multiple listens. You’ll see a lot of references to Scottish musical landscapers Mogwai, wafting around Mountain Caller and yes you may be able to draw certain comparisons here and there as they go about their business, but somehow, this feels a little warmer and accessible than that particular comparison. The band explore heavier and denser pastures than Mogwai for example and that will please those who favour a slightly heavier milieu.
If it feels like this review is hedging its bets slightly, then I can only agree. Maybe that’s a reflection of how broad the musical landscape is here, pivoting from almost pop sensibilities, to heavier, meatier interludes that will possibly leave some listeners guessing as to the band’s true intentions. This is most apparent on second track ‘Feast At Half-Light City’ that starts off in sunny fields of daisies and swishing tall grasses before morphing into a corpse strewn battlefield, densely populated with mines where certain death awaits. It is such an about face musically speaking, it’ll leave you with whiplash. Still it feels churlish to criticise a band from being expansive, although others may say it lacks focus and musical purpose. Overall, ‘Chronicle 1…’is a compelling, convoluted, multi-faceted, musically confused and at times exhilarating album that I can only imagine would be an aural feast in a live environment
(7.5/10 Nick Griffiths)
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